Stay Informed With HeatingSave | Page 18

Consumer watchdog, Consumer Focus, said it was worried that fuel prices would rise further in the wake of British Gas seeing its profits rise 98 per cent in the first half of this year. Audrey Gallacher, head of energy policy at the organisation, said: “We are concerned that energy firms may actually raise prices this winter.

Aided by a £550,000 assembly government grant for the scheme, residents of maisonettes and flats in Wales were told that their homes would receive external wall insulation which could save them up to 40% on their heating bills. This is part of plans to spend up to £40m over the next five years on home improvements. The blocks in Penparcau are part of a project to make them more energy efficient.

The major suppliers of energy have told the regulator Ofgem that there is “little chance” of them reducing energy bills this winter. (of course we all know that when they say this they really mean, no chance) Energy firms say that their costs, excluding the price of the energy itself, have risen steeply and that it is for this reason that prices will not come down; despite an anticipated decrease in wholesale energy costs.

Going to a music festival this year? Well, attending a traditional mass mecca of peace and love such as Glastonbury has been shown, ironically, to do more damage to the eco-system. That is why ten UK music festivals have pledged to cut their emissions by 10 per cent in 2010.

There is currently zero confidence in BP following the fiasco when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig sank on the 20th of April after an explosion, killing 11 workers. Deepwater Horizon has become the United States’ largest oil spill in history – an estimated equivalent of 528,000 to 836,000 barrels spilled.

World oil prices have recovered due to a number of factors. Some have cited the easing of European flight delays following the volcanic ash spewing from Iceland and the Goldman Sachs fraud saga. However, the main reason is the economic rebound of China. This is good news for oil exporters but bad news for under-fire UK users who use are suffering from a stagnant economy and a falling pound sterling. If you are a business or householder with an out-of-date central heating system you might well be reeling with the high cost of fuel.

Utilities firm Npower has admitted it had not communicated well the changes it made to charges, and now 1.8m people are to receive an average refund of £35 in one of the biggest pay-outs of its kind. Npower says it will write to all those affected over the next two months, even if they are no longer customers.

There are hundreds of thousands of different holiday homes to rent in the UK. One website alone, www.cottages4you.co.uk, features more than 10,000 holiday cottages across England, Scotland and Wales, plus 650 more in Ireland. Now that summer is around the corner, it is the perfect time to think about improving the heating regime at your holiday home. HeatingSave is tailor-made for holiday homes – or even business premises – that are infrequently used.

The price of heating oil went higher today as the cost of crude oil rose ahead of the tropical storm Gustav that is moving towards the Gulf of Mexico. Several firms are evacuating staff from oil rigs as a precautionary measure. The Gulf has many off shore installations and these could be badly affected if Gustav is as strong as feared.

The global price of oil has a direct impact on the amount that UK home-owners pay for their fuel and energy. With a 70% price rise of oil in the past year, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has announced concerns that the price of oil could bring instability to global economic recovery. This may have a direct impact on the prices that you pay for fuel and energy in your home.

Homes or business wanting to cut their carbon footprint can enlist the help of HeatingSave, using its low-cost energy management and boiler controller device that is proved to give more efficient fuel usage. Heating buildings result in carbon dioxide emissions, and the more efficient your heating system is, the more your carbon footprint will be reduced.

Crude oil prices have hit a high for the year at $75.17 a barrel today, before edging back slightly. The rally comes amidst a general sentiment in the world that the worst of the recession is over and economic output has turned the corner; with some sort of recovery on the way. Evidence of this has been a reduction in China”s declining output and the strengthening of output from some Euro Zone countries. A weakening US dollar has also made oil cheaper when purchased with other currencies – all except the UK which has seen the pound slide against the greenback.